Announcement

**Udog** · 04-18-2011, 07:50 AM

Daily Sports Roundup: April 18

Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: The Heat and Bulls look to take 2-0 leads in their playoff series, while the Lightning host the Penguins, and the Giants meet the Rockies.

Tipping off on the hardwood . . .

Two games make up the NBA's playoff schedule for Monday, with Philadelphia at Miami and Indiana at Chicago. The Heat and Bulls both won Game 1 of these best-of-seven first-round Eastern Conference series on Saturday, with Miami holding on for a 97-89 win over the Sixers and Chicago surging to a 104-99 win over the Pacers. Derrick Rose was the key for the Bulls in their Game 1 victory on Saturday, pouring in 39 points on the day. Oddsmakers have the Bulls pegged as 12-point favorites for Game 2 of their series with the Pacers on Monday night, with the total for the contest at 191 points. The Heat are then 9.5-point favorites in their Game 2 matchup, with that game's total listed at 190.

Meeting up on the diamond . . .

The American League has six games on tap for Monday, with Toronto at Boston, Minnesota at Baltimore, the Angels at Texas, Cleveland at Kansas City, Detroit at Seattle, and the White Sox at Tampa Bay. Chicago's Edwin Jackson (2-0, 2.89 ERA) will take on the Rays' David Price (1-2, 3.92 ERA) in that last matchup. Righthander Jackson faced Tampa Bay back on April 7, giving up just one run on four hits over his eight innings of work in a victory, while striking out 13. Price took the loss for the Rays in that matchup, surrendering three runs on nine hits over his six innings pitched that night.

Over in the National League on Monday it's then Pittsburgh at Cincinnati, Milwaukee at Philadelphia, San Diego at the Cubs, Atlanta at the Dodgers, and San Francisco at Colorado. The Giants are slated to go with Tim Lincecum (1-1, 1.86 ERA) on Monday, with the Rockies countering with Esmil Rogers (2-0, 2.77 ERA). Righthander Lincecum settled for a no-decision against the Dodgers in his last trip to the mound, allowing three runs on six hits over 5 1-3 innings of work in that outing. Righthander Rogers beat the Mets last time out, allowing three runs on seven hits in 5 2-3 innings pitched in that win.

Taking a trip around the rink . . .

Finally, there are four games on the NHL's playoff schedule for Monday, with Philadelphia at Buffalo, Boston at Montreal, Detroit at Phoenix, and Pittsburgh at Tampa Bay. The Penguins and Lightning are tied 1-1 in their best-of-seven first-round Eastern Conference series, with Pittsburgh winning Game 1 by a score of 3-0 last Wednesday and Tampa Bay claiming a 5-1 victory in Game 2 last Friday. Simon Gagne and Eric Brewer each picked up three points in the Bolts' Game 2 win, while Dwayne Roloson stopped 35 of 36 Pittsburgh shots. Craig Adams had the lone goal in the loss for the Pens. Oddsmakers have the Lightning as -135 home favorites for Monday night's game.

**Udog** · 04-18-2011, 07:53 AM

Monday's betting tips: D-Wade questionable for Game 2

Weather to watch

San Diego Padres at Chicago Cubs – 16 mph winds blowing in from right-center field and a 50 percent chance of rain or snow.

Who’s hot

NBA: The under has cashed in on each of Philadelphia’s last seven games and the last four games that Miami has played.

NHL: 20 of the last 26 meetings between the Flyers and Sabres have played over the total.

NHL: Pittsburgh has won seven of its last eight road games.

MLB: Kansas City has won six of its last seven overall.

Who’s not

NBA: Indiana is just 3-7 against the spread in its last 10 meetings with Chicago.

NHL: Philadelphia has won just twice over the last eight games.

NHL: Boston has won just seven of its last 28 games in Montreal.

MLB: Seattle has lost eight of its last 10 contests.

Key stat

5-2: NBA underdogs were 5-2 against the spread in the playoffs prior to Sunday night's Denver-Oklahoma City matchup. That includes three outright underdog wins with the Hornets downing the Lakers, the Hawks beating the Magic and the Grizzlies getting the better of the Spurs.

Game of the day

Philadelphia 76ers at Miami Heat (-9.5, 189.5)

Injury that shouldn’t be overlooked

Ed Jovanovski , Phoenix Coyotes – The Coyotes’ veteran defenseman is listed as day-to-day after he picked up an upper body injury in Saturday’s loss to Detroit. Jovanovski was hammered into the boards by Darren Helm and Phoenix coach Dave Tippett wasn’t happy about the play.

Notable quotable

"You're not going to get punked. I know I'm quiet, but that doesn't mean anything. If you're out there and think it's a dirty foul, you have to say something. If you don't, they're going to continue to do it. Luol [Deng] and a couple of my teammates did what they were supposed to do." – Chicago Bulls MVP candidate Derrick Rose on taking a couple hard fouls in the first game of their series against Indiana.

Notes and tips

Dwyane Wade sat out Sunday’s practice as he was experiencing migraine headaches. This has been a problem for him in the past, and coach Erik Spoelstra says that the team will know more about his stats for Monday’s game against Philadelphia sometime in the afternoon. If he does play, Wade may be forced to wear tinted glasses during the contest as bright lights to reduce the glare. The Heat are set as 9.5-point favorites.

Zdeno Chara is considered questionable for Monday’s Game 3 after sitting out Saturday’s 3-1 loss to Montreal due to dehydration. Chara gave it a go in the **** skate but was experiencing dizziness and the medical staff decided he should sit out. The Bruins’ captain traveled with the team to Montreal and will likely be a game-time decision.

The Minnesota Twins have given up on Joe Nathan in the closer role for the time being at least. After blowing his second save opportunity in a row on Saturday, manager Ron Gardenhire met with Nathan and told him he was moving him to a role out of the spotlight until he gets back on track. Matt Capps will assume closing duties for the Twins, who visit Baltimore on Monday.

Andre Iguodala scored just four points in Game 1’s loss to Miami. While he did chip in nine assists and eight rebounds in more than 36 minutes of work, the 76ers are going to need a lot more from him on the offensive end. Saturday’s scoring effort was his worst output since he managed just one point in 33 minutes in a loss to Indiana back in January.

**Udog** · 04-18-2011, 07:57 AM

Monday's six-pack

-- Crowd at Dodger Stadium Sunday, was 27,939, smallest home crowd for the Dodgers in seven years.

-- Cardinal closer Ryan Franklin has blown four of his first five chances to save a game; people in St Louis aren't real happy about it.

-- 30 of the 50 states have a town named Franklin in it.

-- Since 1900, Cardinals are now 1,001-999 against the Dodgers.

-- Chris Rooney, referee for Ranger-Washington playoff game, broke his ankle Sunday. Surprised that doesn't happen more often in the NHL.

-- Five of the last seven PGA tournaments have been won by golfers in their 20's. Never even heard of the guy who won this week.

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Monday's List of 13: Wrapping up a sports weekend.........

13) 2011 NFL schedule is getting released Tuesday night; I'm keeping the schedule in my pocket, but I'm not writing about it until they agree on a new CBA. There's a $9 billion pie to be split up. Its about time they got down to work and came up with a solution. Wake me up when they do.

12) Apparently, Joe Mauer has lost 12 pounds since Thursday, and still doesn't have his appetite. Mauer has a viral infection. Justin Morneau sat out Sunday's game with the flu. Maybe playing their home games indoors wasn't such a bad idea, at least in the spring.

11) Astros and Twins are only two major league teams that haven't won consecutive games yet this season.

10) Vancouver Canucks grabbed a 3-0 series lead over Chicago Sunday, as they try to be the first President's Cup winner in three years to get out of the first round of the playoffs. Canucks have never won the Stanley Cup, so people in British Columbia are very, very excited.

9) NC State's starting QB the last three years was Russell Wilson, but he is playing minor league baseball this summer, so Wolfpack decided that if Wilson comes back for his senior season, he'll start out as the backup QB. Wilson started baseball season 6-31 with 15 strikeouts playing in Class A South Atlantic League as a 2B. He's a pretty damn good QB. Not sure he is making the right decision, choosing baseball as a career.

8) When the Spurs/Lakers both lost Sunday, it was the first time since '84 that the top two seeds in the same conference both lost Game 1 of the 1st round series. To me, best-of-7 takes a lot of the drama out of the playoffs, but the Game 1's this weekend sure were a lot of fun to watch. Underdogs covered seven of eight NBA games this weekend.

7) Carmelo Anthony shot 5-18, Chauncey Billups 3-11 as Knicks lost by a hoop in Boston, in a tough game, but a fun game to watch. Knicks have now lost their last ten games in Boston. Odd stat: Amare Stoudemire was -9, meaning the Knicks were +7 in the 9:21 Stoudemire wasn't playing.

6) New Orleans' bench was a combined +55 in Hornets' 109-100 win at Staples Center; Chris Paul had 33 points, 14 rebounds. Paul is going to hit the jackpot when he becomes a free agent after next season.

5) Congrats to the Grizzlies for their win in San Antonio, the first playoff win in franchise history for Memphis. Grizzlies are 5-0 against the spread when playing the Spurs this season.

4) This is the first time in 14 years that both the Knicks/Rangers are in the playoffs; Knicks haven't won a playoff game in ten years.

3) Pirates were the only NL Central team to win Sunday.

2) Red Sox are 4-10, and Carl Crawford is batting .127 so he will be sitting on the bench for my fantasy team this week. Hard to believe, but he looks totally lost at the plate. Hopefully he gets straightened out soon.

1) Taking off for spring vacation Wednesday, looking forward to going tosee some minor league baseball, catching up with old friends, hopefully making some money investing in big league baseball. Should be a lot of fun.

**Udog** · 04-18-2011, 08:01 AM

NBA
Long Sheet

Monday, April 18

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PHILADELPHIA (41 - 42) at MIAMI (59 - 24) - 4/18/2011, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
PHILADELPHIA is 47-35 ATS (+8.5 Units) in all games this season.
PHILADELPHIA is 47-24 ATS (+20.6 Units) as a road underdog of 9.5 to 12 points since 1996.
PHILADELPHIA is 9-1 ATS (+7.9 Units) in road games against Southeast division opponents this season.
PHILADELPHIA is 28-17 ATS (+9.3 Units) revenging a loss vs opponent this season.
PHILADELPHIA is 57-36 ATS (+17.4 Units) in road games after 3 or more consecutive losses since 1996.
PHILADELPHIA is 26-15 ATS (+9.5 Units) in road games versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.
MIAMI is 15-26 ATS (-13.6 Units) in home games this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
MIAMI is 6-6 against the spread versus PHILADELPHIA over the last 3 seasons
MIAMI is 10-2 straight up against PHILADELPHIA over the last 3 seasons
7 of 11 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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INDIANA (37 - 46) at CHICAGO (63 - 20) - 4/18/2011, 9:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
CHICAGO is 49-33 ATS (+12.7 Units) in all games this season.
CHICAGO is 24-13 ATS (+9.7 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
CHICAGO is 8-5 against the spread versus INDIANA over the last 3 seasons
CHICAGO is 9-4 straight up against INDIANA over the last 3 seasons
7 of 13 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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**Udog** · 04-18-2011, 08:04 AM

NBA
Short Sheet

Monday, April 18

Eastern Conference Playoffs - First Round - Best of 7 - Game 2 - MIA Leads 1-0
PHILADELPHIA at MIAMI, 7:05 PM ET TNT
PHILADELPHIA: 25-15 ATS off SU loss
MIAMI: 7-16 ATS off ATS loss

Eastern Conference Playoffs - First Round - Best of 7 - Game 2 - CHI Leads 1-0
INDIANA at CHICAGO, 9:35 PM ET TNT
INDIANA: 15-4 ATS as underdog of 10 or more
CHICAGO: 13-4 Under off win by 6 pts or less

**Udog** · 04-18-2011, 08:05 AM

NBA
Write-Up

Monday, April 18

Chicago won four of five against the Pacers this year, with three of five going over total; Bulls won their last ten games overall, with five of last seven staying under- they're 5-8 vs spread in last 13 games as a favorite. Indiana is 7-4 vs spread in last eleven games as an underdog; they made 10-18 behind arc in Game 1, still lost, going -15 on boards- they also got outscored 26-11 on foul line. Dunleavy was only plus Pacer (+4). Bulls' Bogans was -11 in only 17:17 on floor.

Miami is 4-0 vs Philly this season, winning by 10-9-12-8 and covering two of the four, with three of four staying under total. Heat won eight of last nine games overall (6-3 vs spread). 76ers are 1-6 in last seven games (1-6 vs spread) with all seven games staying under. Bench took 42 of Sixers' 85 shots in Game 1; they were -10 in the 8:00 Brand didn't play. Miami outscored its guests 31-12 from foul line, was +13 on boards.

**Udog** · 04-18-2011, 08:08 AM

NBA

Monday, April 18

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Trend Report
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7:00 PM
PHILADELPHIA vs. MIAMI
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Philadelphia's last 5 games on the road
Philadelphia is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games on the road
Miami is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games at home
Miami is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games at home

9:30 PM
INDIANA vs. CHICAGO
Indiana is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Chicago
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Indiana's last 6 games when playing on the road against Chicago
Chicago is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
Chicago is 3-6 ATS in its last 9 games

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**Udog** · 04-18-2011, 08:12 AM

NBA

Monday, April 18

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Pacers at Bulls: What bettors need to know
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Indiana Pacers at Chicago Bulls (-12, 191)

THE STORY: The Chicago Bulls had more trouble than most people expected in the series opener on Saturday but eventually returned to the form that got them the best record in the NBA - playing tough defense and letting Derrick Rose take over. The Indiana Pacers may have squandered a big lead in the fourth quarter of the Game 1 but at least they learned that they have the talent to hang with the Bulls and maybe steal a game in Chicago. They will attempt to do just that when the teams meet for Game 2 of the first-round series at the United Center on Monday.

TV: 9:30 p.m. ET, TNT, CSCH, TSN2

ABOUT THE BULLS: For a while, it looked as though Chicago was feeling the effects of all the pressure that comes with being the top seed in the league. Then Rose stepped up. The Bulls ended the game on a 16-1 run and tied it when Rose drove for his second straight circus shot in the lane with 1:27 left. Rose got the rebound at the other end and came back up court, drawing the defense before kicking it out to Kyle Korver for a wide-open 3-pointer and Chicago’s first lead of the game with 48 seconds left. Rose finished with 39 points and went 17 of 19 from the free throw line while Luol Deng chipped in 18 points and 10 rebounds.

ABOUT THE PACERS: Indiana led by as many as 12 points in the third quarter and were still up 10, 98-88, with 3:39 left before collapsing down the stretch. Danny Granger scored 24 points and Tyler HanXXXough added 22 but the Pacers got little from anyone else in the second half. They seemed to figure out how to attack the Bulls’ league-leading defense, shooting 10 of 18 from beyond the arc. Now they just have to find a way to stop Rose from getting into the lane.

WHO’S HOT/WHO’S NOT: Carlos Boozer was a non-factor in the first game for Chicago, finishing with 12 points and six rebounds in 26 minutes as he battled foul trouble. Paul George was held to two points in his first career playoff game for Indiana.

KEY STATISTIC: Rebounding. The Bulls dominated the glass, 49-34, in the first game and were especially active on their own end, pulling down 21 offensive boards.

LAST WORD: When asked if he ever felt safe with the lead, Granger gave this response: “With Derrick Rose on the other team? No. It’s like a crazy stalker ex-girlfriend,” he said. “Every time you tell her you don’t want to talk to her, she’ll show up at your door again.”

TRENDS: Chicago is 0-5-1 against the spread in its last six playoff games as a favorite and 1-6 ATS in its last seven home games

The under is 7-3 in Indiana's last 10 games as a road underdog.

The over is 5-1 in the Pacers last six games at Chicago.

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**Udog** · 04-18-2011, 08:15 AM

NBA

Monday, April 18

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Pick 'n' roll: Monday's best NBA bets
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Philadelphia 76ers at Miami Heat (-9.5, 190)

Miami improved to 4-0 (2-2 ATS) against Philadelphia this season with Saturday’s hard-fought 97-89 victory at AmericanAirlines Arena.

The Sixers are going to need more from Andre Iguodala (four points on 2-of-7 shooting in Game 1), but will they get it? Iguodala missed the last two contests of Philly’s regular season and it’s clear he is not yet 100 percent. Louis Williams (hamstring) returned from a five-game absence and scored 10 points, but he made only three of 10 shots.

Another problem for the Sixers was something Miami did early in the second quarter. The home team, which had been trailing most of the way, switched to a zone defense and had the lead by halftime.

“We came out with a zone against a team that really likes to attack,” the Philadelphia Inquirer reported LeBron James as saying. “The zone kind of keeps everybody out on the perimeter. It just caught them off guard. Those few possessions that we went to the zone allowed us to get back into the game.”

The Heat have now won five games in a row and 16 of their last 19.

Pick: Heat

Indiana Pacers at Chicago Bulls (-12, 191)

The Bulls trailed 98-88 with less than four minutes remaining in Game 1 on Friday, but at that point it was time for the Derrick Rose show. Rose scored seven of his 39 points in the final 1:50 and Chicago overcame a game Indiana squad 104-99.

“Kid's out of this world,” Pacers’ head coach Frank Vogel said of Rose during his post-game press conference. “He's got (Allen) Iverson's speed, (Jason) Kidd's vision, (Chauncey) Billups' shooting, and (Michael) Jordan's athleticism.”

Even so, Indiana battled the No. 1 overall seed in the NBA for a full 48 minutes. Perhaps the Pacers’ recent regular-season win over the Bulls was not a fluke, after all.

Chicago won 21 of its last 23 games heading into the playoffs, but one of the losses? None other than a 115-108 overtime thriller at Indiana on March 18.

With Tyler HanXXXough (22 points in Game 1), Roy Hibbert (11 points, eight rebounds), and Josh McRoberts able to bang with the league’s best rebounding team, the Pacers are going to be a tough out. It will be hard to recover from letting the opener slip away, but getting 12 points is a lot.

Pick: Pacers

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**Udog** · 04-18-2011, 08:19 AM

NHL
Long Sheet

Monday, April 18

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PHILADELPHIA (48-24-0-12, 108 pts.) at BUFFALO (44-30-0-10, 98 pts.) - 4/18/2011, 7:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
PHILADELPHIA is 8-6-0 straight up against BUFFALO over the last 3 seasons
10 of 14 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+5.8 Units)

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BOSTON (46-27-0-11, 103 pts.) at MONTREAL (46-30-0-8, 100 pts.) - 4/18/2011, 7:35 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
MONTREAL is 12-12 (+2.6 Units) against the spread versus BOSTON over the last 3 seasons
MONTREAL is 12-12-0 straight up against BOSTON over the last 3 seasons
10 of 19 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=-0.4 Units, Under=-1.3 Units)

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PITTSBURGH (50-26-0-8, 108 pts.) at TAMPA BAY (47-26-0-11, 105 pts.) - 4/18/2011, 7:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
TAMPA BAY is 47-37 ATS (+47.0 Units) in all games this season.
TAMPA BAY is 22-17 ATS (-0.1 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
PITTSBURGH is 23-12 ATS (+8.9 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent this season.
PITTSBURGH is 44-20 ATS (+16.0 Units) after a loss by 2 goals or more in their previous game over the last 3 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 13-3 ATS (+9.1 Units) when playing with 2 days rest this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
TAMPA BAY is 6-8 (+0.5 Units) against the spread versus PITTSBURGH over the last 3 seasons
PITTSBURGH is 8-6-0 straight up against TAMPA BAY over the last 3 seasons
8 of 13 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+2.5 Units)

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DETROIT (49-25-0-10, 108 pts.) at PHOENIX (43-28-0-13, 99 pts.) - 4/18/2011, 10:35 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
DETROIT is 13-8-0 straight up against PHOENIX over the last 3 seasons
12 of 17 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+6.4 Units)

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**Udog** · 04-18-2011, 08:22 AM

NHL
Short Sheet

Monday, April 18

Eastern Conference Playoffs - Best of 7 - Game 3 - Tied 1-1
PHILADELPHIA at BUFFALO, 7:05 PM ET VERSUS
PHILADELPHIA: 18-5 SU off home win by 1 goal
BUFFALO: 0-6 SU at home if 9+ total goals were scored last game

Eastern Conference Playoffs - Best of 7 - Game 3 - MON 2-0
BOSTON at MONTREAL, 7:35 PM ET
BOSTON: 14-2 SU after losing 4 or 5 of their last six games
MONTREAL: 7-14 SU at home off BB Road wins

Eastern Conference Playoffs - Best of 7 - Game 3 - Tied 1-1
PITTSBURGH at TAMPA BAY, 7:35 PM ET
PITTSBURGH: 6-0 SU Away revenging loss of 3+ goals
TAMPA BAY: 7-16 SU off win by 3+ goals

Western Conference Playoffs - Best of 7 - Game 3 - DET 2-0
DETROIT at PHOENIX, 10:35 PM ET VERSUS
DETROIT: 40-14 SU as a #3 seed in playoffs
PHOENIX: 9-23 SU at home vs Detroit

**Udog** · 04-18-2011, 08:23 AM

NHL
Write-Up

Monday, April 18

Buffalo is 6-3 in its last nine games vs Philly, with five of six meetings this year going over total; Sabres won five of last six games and eight of last eleven; five of last six Sabre games went over. Flyers lost six of last eight games. Almost half of Game 2 (27:29) was played with one team on power play. Philly is just 1-15 on power play (25:11) so far in series. Flyers won five of last seven visits to this building.

Montreal won eight of last ten games vs Boston, allowing 11 goals in last 12 series wins; they've allowed only one goal so far in series, despite B's outshooting them 66-46. Montreal won five of its last six games overall. Under is 9-3 in last twelve series games, 8-2-1 in last 11 Boston games, 7-1-1 in last nine Montreal tilts. Bruins lost last four visits to Montreal, with three of the four losses by a single goal.

Home team won five of six Tampa Bay-Pittsburgh games this season; Penguins lost three of last four visits here, but they've won last five of their last six games, with five of six going over. Lightning won eight of its last ten games, allowing 18 goals. Pittsburgh won seven of last eight on foreign ice; Lightning won its last three at home, allowing five goals. Pens are 0-13 (20:46) on power play so far in series.

Detroit is 3-8 in just 7:32 on power play as they won first two games in series; Red Wings won four of last five visits to this building, which will be emotional in light of Coyotes' rumored move back to Winnipeg. Seven of last eight Detroit games went over total; eight of last twelve Phoenix games stayed under. Coyotes lost six of their last eight games overall- they're 6-5 in last 11 home games.

**Udog** · 04-18-2011, 08:27 AM

NHL

Monday, April 18

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Trend Report
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7:00 PM
PHILADELPHIA vs. BUFFALO
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Philadelphia's last 5 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Philadelphia's last 6 games when playing Buffalo
Buffalo is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
Buffalo is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against Philadelphia

7:30 PM
BOSTON vs. MONTREAL
Boston is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Montreal
Boston is 2-8 SU in its last 10 games when playing Montreal
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Montreal's last 6 games
Montreal is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games

7:30 PM
PITTSBURGH vs. TAMPA BAY
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Pittsburgh's last 6 games
Pittsburgh is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Tampa Bay's last 5 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Tampa Bay's last 12 games when playing at home against Pittsburgh

10:30 PM
DETROIT vs. PHOENIX
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Detroit's last 8 games
Detroit is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing Phoenix
Phoenix is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games
Phoenix is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Detroit

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**Udog** · 04-18-2011, 08:29 AM

NHL

Monday, April 18

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Game of the day: Bruins at Canadiens
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Boston Bruins at Montreal Canadiens (+105, 5)

THE STORY: While Tim Thomas may be the front-runner to win his second Vezina Trophy in three years, Carey Price is getting the better of the goaltending battle in this Eastern Conference quarterfinal series. Price has stopped 65 of 66 shots that have come his way, and as a result the Montreal Canadiens hold a 2-0 edge over the Boston Bruins. With Monday's Game 3 set for the Bell Centre, it would be a fine time for the Bruins to chime in with a victory - or else be pushed to the brink of elimination after only three games. Then again, the Bruins know what can happen in that scenario all too well after their collapse against the Philadelphia Flyers in last year's Eastern Conference semifinals.

TV: 7:30 ET, NESN, CBC, RDS

ABOUT THE BRUINS: Captain Zdeno Chara missed Saturday's contest after he was hospitalized the night before due to dehydration. The towering blue-liner took park in pre-game warmups, but was not medically cleared to play. Without Chara, the Bruins' defense became exposed and Montreal got the early jump for the second straight game in the series. The TD Garden faithful turned ugly toward the end of Saturday's contest, chanting "Fire Julien" as the coach stood arms folded behind the bench. Perhaps it's best that Julien and the Bruins will hit the road to continue the series after all.

ABOUT THE CANADIENS: Michael Cammalleri collected a goal and an assist and Mathieu Darche and defenseman Yannick Weber also tallied on Saturday. For Weber, he wasn't even expected to suit up, but Andrei Kostitsyn (foot) was a last-minute scratch prior to the contest. While Price may get most of the headlines, kudos are in order for the Canadiens for blocking 46 shots in the first two games of the series. Former Bruins defenseman Hal Gill stopped a team-high five in Game 2.

WHO'S HOT/WHO’S NOT: Boston's Milan Lucic recorded a career-high 30 goals this season, but he has been awfully quiet lately. Lucic was denied by Price from pinpoint range early in the first period of Game 2. The promising star has just one tally in his last 12 contests. If we're looking for positives, Patrice Bergeron netted the lone goal for the Bruins and had a team-high six shots on goal in Game 2. It was thought for the Canadiens to have a chance that Price would have to stand on his head. The 23-year-old British Columbia native has done just that in the first two games of the series.

SPECIAL TEAMS: Considering the Bruins have just one goal thus far in the series, one can deduce that they aren't exactly lighting up the scoreboard in this department. All told, Boston is 0-for-7 with the man-advantage. Taken a step further, the Bruins have converted just five of their last 40 power-play opportunities. For his part, Darche's power-play goal just 2:20 into Game 2 served as the eventual winner.

LAST WORD: The Bruins have lost the series all 26 times that they've dropped the first two games.

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Announcement

Monday's Trends and Indexes - 4/18 (NBA, NHL, MLB, Misc.)

Monday's Trends and Indexes - 4/18 (NBA, NHL, MLB, Misc.)

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